I’m on a bit of a rant today.
First, let me explain.
I get a lot of “newsletters” in my Inbox, by choice. Many of them will tell me about what happened on a particular date in history. Well, on July 30th, I received one with the headline that read: “Caitlyn Jenner Wins Olympic Decathlon.”
Since then, this same headline has popped up a couple of different times from different sources.
The article(s) recounted the events of that historical date. It read:
“On July 30, 1976, American Caitlyn Jenner wins gold in the men’s decathlon at the Montreal Olympics. Jenner’s 8,617 points set a world record in the event. The secret to Jenner’s success was preparation. In the 1970s, most decathletes trained with other decathletes. Jenner, however, trained with some of the world’s best athletes in each of the 10 decathlon events.”
Much later in the article, it got around to saying that Caitlyn Jenner was competing as Bruce Jenner.
Okay. Let me say this first and foremost before I get angry emails.
I don’t think there is a thing wrong with being transgender.
I am not transgender, of course. I was born female, and I enjoy being a woman (except for the ongoing discrimination). Anyway, I feel comfortable being a woman. My birth sex gods got it right. With that said, I cannot identify with the feelings of transgender people. I fully support them. I understand them, and I have compassion for their situations. I know they need to transform themselves into their proper gender to feel comfortable as human beings. I understand those things. But I can’t imagine what it must feel like for them. Obviously, it is quite devastating because many people go through the hard process of gender transition or even a sex change.
So. I support transgender people.
But. When Bruce Jenner won the Olympics, Bruce Jenner identified as a male, Bruce Jenner. He was not Caitlyn back then. I think history should mark it down that Bruce Jenner won the medal.
These days, it is fine for Caitlyn to get credit for that incredible feat. But she did it as Bruce.
And that’s how I feel about that one.
I also feel we should all be true to ourselves.
Being true to ourselves starts with knowing who we are and accepting ourselves. It is important for each one of us to know our strengths and our limitations. Hopefully, we can recognize our passions and purpose in life. And when we do, we can work on living that way all the time. We come to know ourselves by living life. And through that, we can seek what defines us and makes us whole.
This becomes a personal choice for truth. We have the power within us to live our lives according to our own truths.
“””””””””””””””
“Live the beautiful, authentic truth inside your heart.”
― Amy Leigh Mercree
“””””””””””””””
“Real always works.”
― Oli Anderson
“””””””””””””””
“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh
“””””””””””””””
The medal. And the mettle.
